Arber Xhekaj unavailable: disappointment all around the NHL

With the trade deadline fast approaching, fans are thinking about the possible departures of their favorite team.

As for the Montreal Canadiens, no player is certain to leave, but nothing is impossible in the NHL.

Among them are David Savard, Mike Matheson, Tanner Pearson, Joel Armia, Jordan Harris and Josh Anderson. On the other hand, the Tricolore currently has the upper hand and can demand an incredible return to trade certain players who are attracting interest.

Another player who has some executives salivating is defenseman Arber Xhekaj.

The colossus has had an up-and-down start to the season. He was clearly lacking defensively, which is why he was sent to the Laval Rocket.

At the time, with the surplus of defensemen in Montreal, there was interest across the league for a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman with great offensive skills.

Since his return from Laval, where he enjoyed some great moments alongside Logan Mailloux, Xhekaj has struggled to get back on track, but he’s been on fire in recent games with the big club.

His value wasn’t very high when he was relegated, but the Tricolore decided to keep Xhekaj for themselves.

And that disappointed a few managers across the league.

This is what Elliotte Friedman reports in his recent 32 Toughts article:

Thank you to @RoryBoylen for his editing work here. Full pre-deadline 32 Thoughts, with extra stuff on Pettersson, Jets and @thephpa looking for a new executive director:https://t.co/BBjmchRQTX

– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 4, 2024

Infact, I invite you to read his article, as he gives grades for each of the teams ahead of the trade deadline.

At point 7, which is the Montreal Canadiens, because it’s presented in descending order of ranking, you can see just how disappointed some clubs are that Friedman reports.

“There’s definitely disappointment that the Habs kept Arber Xhekaj.” – Elliotte Friedman

It’s understandable, since with his low value at the time he was sent to Laval, it would have pleased a number of managers to obtain the services of this phenomenon.

After all, who wouldn’t want a colossus of his calibre, with great offensive flair and an excellent skating stroke for his 23-year-old frame?

To see him change address, we can expect an incredible comeback for Kent Hughes to let Xhekaj go, a bit like David Savard.

Both defensemen are highly coveted throughout the NHL, but they’re not for trade. So it’s only fair to ask for a big return, since the Habs can decide whether or not to trade these players.

In gusto

– Barkov was clearly a magician in a former life. This was Sam Reinhart’s 25th power-play goal.

Barkov JUGGLED the puck to assist on Reinhart’s goal pic.twitter.com/OSko3aVSYv

– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 5, 2024

– Congratulations to Chris Nilan for overcoming such a difficult ordeal. As Nilan says: don’t hesitate to talk to someone if you feel the need.

Here’s a good reminder of what addiction looks like for me and what recovery looks like for me today. I don’t ever want to go back there and this is a good reminder for me. Please pick up the phone and ask for help if you’re struggling. I did it and you can too pic.twitter.com/DVZln0vCND

– Chris Nilan (@KnucklesNilan30) March 4, 2024

– Kevin Hayes scored a goal against his former team.

Wells Fargo Center got loud for Kevin Hayes!